Coal-breaking method and machine.



.COAL BREAKING METHOD AND MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6. 1916.

1,218,693. Patented Mar.13,1917.

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COAL BREAKING METHOD AND MACHINE.

Arrucmou FILED JULY 6. 1916.

1,218,693. v Patented Mar. 13, 1917'.

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COAL BREAKING METHOD AND MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6. I9I6.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

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FRANK PARDEE, OF HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

COAL-BREAKING METHOD AND MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Ma. is, 1917.

Application filed July 6, 1916. Serial No. 107,732.

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK PAnDnn, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hazleton Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal- Breaking Methods and Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention aims to provide improvements in coal breakers and in the method of breaking coal, which shall operate with greater economy than the previously known apparatus and processes. In reducing the large lumps of coal which come from the mines, especially anthracite coal, to commercial sizes there is a minimum limit of size below which the product cannot be sold for a fair price. The dust and small particles below this economical size have to be sold at less than the cost of production. The greater the quantity of such dust and small particles produced in breaking the coal, therefore, the-more expensive is the operation. By the present invention the large lumps can be broken into desired commercial sizes with a minimum of waste. Comparing my improved machine with the coal breakers heretofore generally used I have succeeded in reducing the quantity of undesirable fine particles to about eight per cent. of the total where the ordinary style of breaker has produced from fifteen to twenty-five per cent. of the undesirable fine product.

Instead of the spikes or picks mounted on revolving drums or otherwise arranged to crush and break the coal which are characteristic of the machines commercially used, the breaking elements of my invention are in the shape of heavy blades. They do not cut through the coal as knives or shears ordinarily out through their work, but they break each lump with a much smaller per.- centage of spalls and dust than is produced with the previous machines.

The invention may be made available in machines of a great number of different designs of which I have illustrated four in the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan of a machine with a vertical axis;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 ofFigl;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section wlth the feeding and distributing mechanlsm removed and showing only the two sets of blades, the upper set being partly removed to show the lower set;

' for example.

Fig. l is a section of Fig. 1 on the line Fig. 5 is a diagram of another style e of breaker, showing a horizontal drum in end view and a plate or chute on which the lumps are broken inlongitudinal section;

Fig. 6 is a plan of the plate or chute of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a plan of a similar drum working on a plate or chute of another design;

Figs. 8 and 9 are a face elevation and longitudinal section respectively of another design;

Fig. 10 is a diagram of a lump of coal.

Referring now to the embodiments of the invention illustrated, and first to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4t, the stationary table A is provided with a number of openings, the forward edges of which are in the form of blades B converging as shown. The blades B as well as the various other blades hereinafter referred to may be made of special steel or other composition fastened onto its support instead of being integral therewith as indicated in these drawings. See Fig. 5

Below the plane of the blades 13 is a spacing plate or table C provided with chutes D through which the broken coal is carried away. Betweenthe plane of the blades B of movable blades E mounted on a spider F carried on a shaft G which rotates freely through a hole in the plate A that carries the upper blades. Mountedalso on the shaft G so as to rotate therewith is an upper feeding device comprising arms H connected to an outer ring- J provided with gear teeth and driven from a pinion K mounted on a shaft L which is driven by means of beveled gears from a main shaft M carrying belt pulleys or from any other source of power. The belt drive is preferred since it permits slipping in case the machine is stopped by pieces of iron or other foreign matter getting into the coal. A ring N is supported above the ring J by means \of brackets O fastened to the table A, leaving the ring J free to rotate.

A chute P, Fig. 1, conveys the large lumps -of coal to a block Q which is located above the upper end of the hollow shaft G and which is fixed against rotation. The block Q, is provided with channels R and serves to effect a substantially even distribution of the large lumps of coal around the center of and the top of the spacing plate C is a series the apparatus and to the different sets of breaking blades B.

In operation the ring J is driven in the direction of the arrow, carrying with it the feeding or distributing arms H and the movable breaking blades E, the blades B and the plate carrying the same remaining fixed. The hollow shaft G as shownin Fig. 2 carries upper and lower squared portions in en gagement with the feeding members H and the blade carrying spider F, and carries an intermediate circular portion G which retates within the plate A. A rod S extends through the hollow rod G and fastens the block Q, to the table C so as to prevent rotation of the block. The larger lumps of coal are fed down the chute P at a rate corresponding to the rate of rotation of the gear. The block R distributes the lumps within the ring N and onto the plate A. As the armsl l advance they sweep the lumps in the holes on the plate A, the lumps resting on the lower plate (,l. The blades E are slightly in advance of the distril'mting arms H (see Fig. 1-.) and they push the lumps T forward into engagement with the blades 13 to the positions indicated. Each single lump is directly engaged by the blades and broken thereby; that is, the lumps are not crushed against one another. The pressures of the opposing blades are in planes substantially parallel with each other and in directions normal to the edges of the blades and I have found that such a mode of operation breaks the lumps very cleanly, with a minimum of chipping and spalling.

The portion of the lumps of coal broken oft at the bottom is carried around on the table 0 by the continually advancing blade E by which it was broken, until such broken portion arrives at a chute D, when it will run off to any suitable receptacle. The upper portion broken off from the lump will be carried forward on top of the plate A by the distributing arm H and will be dropped into the next hole in the plate A. It will then be carried forward until it reaches the chute, if it be small enough to pass below the blades B; or if not it will be again broken as before. The space between V the plate A or blades B and the table C de termines the size to which the coal is to be broken. It may be made greater or less by making the blade-carrying spider F thicker or thinner. Since a certain quantity of spells and dust will necessarily be formed at each operation it is preferable to use as few operations as possible. It will be most economical in this respect, to break the larger. lumps into twoparts, which would require their running through the machine only once. But where more than one operation is required to secure the desired size such operation can be performed most economically by the method herein described.

And in any case the feeding of the larger The principles explained in connection 7 with the machine of Figs. 1 to alare equally applicable to machines of various other types, such for examplev as the horizontal drum machine of Figs. 5 and 6. Here a drum U has its cylindrical periphery serving as a spacer 'to limit the position of the lumps T of coal which are advanced in a single layer down the chute V. The lower end of the chute V is provided with a blade B corresponding to the fixed blade B in'thc first machine and the drum U is provided with blades E corresponding to the movable blades E of the first machine. The blades B and E act in the directions indL cated by the arrows, that is in directions normal to their edges and in substantially parallel; planes and produce the same economical, comparatively clean break, as described in the first machine; and the feeding and spacing arrangements illustrated permit the'breaking of the lumps very closely to the desired size and with the least waste. In breakers heretofore generally used the product has been a mass of lumps of various sizes which had to go through a sorting process. With my present machine the product is practically all of the size desired, except for the waste and a great quantity of coal of the desired smaller size is obtainable from a determined quantity of the larger lumps.

In Fig. 7 the drum U and blades E are the same as in Fig. 5. The chute W, how ever, is provided with blades B 13 which extend transversely of the blades E. A lump of coal T engaged between a blade E and the pair of bladesB will be broken in two directions. It will break roughly along a vertical plane parallel to the blade E and likewise roughly along vertical planes through the blades B B so that it will be broken in one operation into six smaller pieces.

It is important that the breaking pressure be along practically continuous lines extending across or nearly across each lump of coal, so as to cause a breaking of the lump along such a line; as distinguished from the action of separate picks or spikeswhich produce a breakage along a number of lines radiating indiscriminately from the focal points at which the pressure is exerted. The blades referred to also should have a practically continuous edge, which, however, may be finely serrated 01' made up of a number of teeth so close together that they will act conjointly with the same efiect as a blade with an absolutely continuous edge, that is,without producing any substantial amount of breakage in any other direction than along the line joining such teeth. The machines illustrated are provided with a plurality of moving blades, but a single blade may be used where a large capacity is not so important; and both the opposed blades or sets of blades inay be movable instead of having one fixed as in the construction illustrated.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a long blade E mounted upon a cross head X which slides in upright guides Y, Z and is actuated by means of a lever 2 pivoted at 3 and guided by the upper portion of the upright Z and operated through a link 3 and lever 4 which is driven by a crank pin 5 working in a slide in the end of the lever, the crank pin being mounted on a shaft 6 rotating in the direc tion indicated so as to produce a comparatively quick lift of the movable blade and a comparatively slow downward movement thereof. The lumps of coal F are fed in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 9 along a chute 7, at the lower end of which they are stopped by a spacer 8 carried by the blade E, the lumps of coal resting on the lower fixed blade 13''. The pieces broken off by the downward movement of the blade E drop into any suitable receptacle or into a second inclined chute in which they are carried to the second blade; the successive operations being continued until the desired size is reached. 1

Fig. 9 indicates roughly a lump of coal. The lumps as they come from the mine are somewhat irregular, but a large proportion of them have cleavage planes as indicated, and as they are fed they rest naturally on their largest face, and with their greatest length in such a direction that the blades will be in about the relative position indicated at E. In addition to the horizontal cleavage planes indicated by full lines in Fig. 10 there enerally exist secondary cleavage planes such as are indicated in dotted lines, so that the lumps will break cleanly along such secondary cleavage planes. While this is not necessarily true of all the lumps, yet it is true of a large percentage thereof,such a percentage that the saving of waste on these regular lumps alone is a matter of considerable importance. And even where the lumps are less regular and the cleavage planes less well defined than in the case illustrated in Fig. 10, yet the action of the blades is such as to produce a much cleaner cut, that is with much less waste than in machines of the old type. In the case of the majority of the lumps the blades, or at least one of the blades will act in a direction normal to the faces of the lumps which they engage.

Though I have described with great particularity of detail certain embodiments of all the particular embodiment disclosed. Various modifications in the separate parts of the apparatus and in their arrangements may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is 1. The method of breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size which consists in breaking said larger lumps between blades having a practically continuous edge and acting in directions substantially parallel with each other. j

2. The method of breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size which consists in breaking said larger lumps between blades having a practically continuous edge and acting in directions substantially parallel with each other and feeding said larger lumps to positions Where the lumps will be engaged singly between said blades.

3. The method of breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size which consists in breaking said larger lumps between blades having a practically continuous edge and acting in directions substantially parallel with each other and feeding said larger lumps to positions Where the lumps will be engaged singly between said blades and the portions of said lumps lying beyond the blades will be of the determined size.

4. The method of breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size which consists in feeding said lumps to positions where they will, be engaged singly between breaking members and projecting beyond such members a distance corresponding to said determined size and then breaking off in a single piece the portion of each lump lying beyond the breaking members.

-5. The method of breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size which consists in feeding said lumps to positions where they will be engaged singly between breaking members in the forin of blades having a practically continuous edge acting in directions substantially parallel with each other and breaking such lumps by means of said blades.

6. The method of breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size which consists in subjecting said lumps to opposed pressures along practically continuous lines extending across each lump so as to cause single breaks along such lines, as distinguished from a number of breaks radiating from a focal pressure point.

7 The method of breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size which consists in subjecting said lumps to opposed pressures in directionssubstantially normal to the engaged faces of the lumps and along practically continuous lines extending across said lumps.

S. The method of breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size which consists in feeding said larger lumps to positions where the faces of the re ular lumps will be normal to the direction of action of the breaking members and then breaking such lumps by means of said members,v

9. A machine for breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size, including in combi nation blades having a practically continuous edge and means for bringing them into engagement with said larger lumps with breaking pressures in substantially parallel directions.

10. A machine for breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size, including in combination blades having a practically continuous edge and means for bringing them into engagement with said larger lumps with breaking pressures in substantially parallel directions, and means for feeding said larger lumps to positions where they will be singly engaged between said blades.

11. A machine for breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size, including in combination blades having a practically continuous edge, means for bringing them into engagement with said larger lumps with breaking pressures in substantially parallel directions and means for limiting the projection of said lumps beyond the blades to correspond with the determined size.

12. A machine for breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size, including in combination breaking members in the form of blades having a practically continuous edge, means for feeding said larger lumps individually to positions between the breaking members, means for limiting the projection of such lumps beyond said breaking members to a distance corresponding to said determined size and means for then exerting a breaking pressure of said members on said lumps.

13. A machine for breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum product-ion of particles finer than said determined size, including in combination a pair of blades each having a practically continuous edge adapted to extend across each lump of coal and means for pressing them in opposed directions against opposite sides of the lumps to cause breaks along the lengths of such blades.

l l. A machine for breaking larger lumps of coal into asmaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size, including in combination a stationary breaking member, means for feeding said larger lumps to a position where they bear against said breaking memher with a measured portion projecting beyond the same, a movable breaking member and means for bringing the latter into engagement with said larger lumps in the said position and breaking off said measured portion.

15. A machine for breaking larger lumps of coal into a smaller determined size with minimum production of particles finer than said determined size,- including in combination a stationary blade, means for feeding said larger lumps to a position where they bear against said 'blade with a measured portion projecting beyond the same, a movable blade and means for bringing the latter into engagement with said larger lumps in the said position and breaking off said measured portion.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

FRANK PARDEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

,, Washington, D. G. i 

